April 21, 2011

Eggs

While in Germany and Austria in the Spring of 2003 we were pleased to see the breakfast rooms of the pensions we stayed in were nicely decorated for Easter. Pink and yellow puffball chicks, rabbits with barrows and twig trees decked out with eggs made an Easter tableau in each window sill. Nothing could compare however to the shop window we saw in Salzburg. At the corner of Judengasse and Getreidegasse, probably less than a minute’s walk from Mozart’s birthplace, was a shop that sold only Easter eggs.

These weren’t chocolate Easter eggs (though I wish they had been) but dozens after dozens of perilously delicate eggs shells, each one hand-decorated to suit just about any taste.

The shop called Easter in Salzburg sold eggs for Halloween, eggs for Christmas, eggs for birthdays. Personalized eggs. Some were very elegant; others just for kids. The deceivingly large store showcased over a hundred thousand of these little oval beauties over two floors. An ostrich egg bearing a picture of Mozart cost €150, but a modestly decorated chicken’s egg was priced around €2. Despite the reasonable price, I had content myself with some photos. I wouldn’t have managed to get a single egg back to my hotel room.

Ah, a wonderful familiar sight. I tried to explain this to friends one time & they thought I was kidding around. I can't wait to send this link to them. Also, I can't help it, I think of how Julie would love to pounce in like the big cat-bunny she is (& no I would never indulge her in this.) Lovely photo & post, Mme.Pup. xo svs/gg

I saw hundreds of painted egg shells yesterday in Kraków's Main Square, this is a very central European tradition. I love them, too, the patterns painted on them can be so elaborate and colourful. But like you, I would never dare trying to take one with me back to London, I'm sure it would go to pieces on the way!

Thanks for visiting my blog. I am in fact half Polish half German, my German half coming from Baden-Wuerttemberg. I had no idea Toronto has a suburb of Little Poland, but then again most big cities in the world do - us Poles have tendency to spread around the world. Thanks for your comments. Polly x

I am with the rest of them, when the photo is englarged it is amazing to see so many eggs decorated. I cannot say that I have ever seen anything like it before.

Thank you so much for sharing this with us. It would be a wonderful place to visit, but I am like Auntie and would be afraid to walk in unless they had very wide aisles, but even then I would be afraid I was gonna trip and fall on the cases of eggs. Sigh.

A Happy Easter.It puzzles me..what would those eggs be used for?Paper-Weights?'cant help wondering what Customs at the Airport would make of such eggs? Might think you some sort of Terrorist Eggstremeist?

Hi H,sorry bout the confusion, in the entry purple haze(l) you said in a note "I have another, less costumey, one from April Cornell,which I wore out last night." which is what I was referring to in my note 'ohne man' cause I wondered if he was back from muchen. :-) i responded on my site but then couldn't erase which is a feature i don't like~ LOVE the eggs and remember the shop well, its a great art form, you could do it too!

What an interesting shop; in my culture it is very common to have "empty" eggs decorated for Easter.;) However I have never seen eggs decorated for Halloween.;)Thank you so much for stopping by my place.;) In regards to your question, I think the "Easter Lilies" that you mention are often used in a flower bouquet here under the latin derived name "Longiflorum liljer".Wishing you a wonderful Easter.;)

Your heading is from Rupert.Wow! Such a blast from the pastand the post below is one of my most beloved photos evera lost age if ever there was onein Europe anyway (men are a little bit more evolved now (maybe)Glad to have discovered your blog.